Portable electronic appliance with a battery having a wireless tag containing battery information

• US 7,352,152 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2004
• Issued: 04/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawasumi, Seiji, Kawaguchi, Ryuji, Ishihara, Atsuhiko, Kubota, Masakatsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso; Edward H
• Application Number:
  US10/814,157
• Publication Number:
  US 20040196006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: 320/106, 320/110, 320/114, 320/115
• US Class Current: 320/106
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/30 Charge provided using DC bus or data bus of a computer
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00043 using switches, contacts or markings, e.g. optical, magnetic or barcode
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

An electronic appliance has a data read/write section which reads information about a battery stored in a wireless tag provided in the battery, and a CPU which recognizes the read information about the battery and generates battery remaining energy warning information to be displayed on a display section according to the battery information. The battery remaining energy warning information according to the kind of the battery, the name of the manufacturer of the battery, etc., is generated and displayed to correctly and effectively inform a user of a remaining energy warning about the battery presently used.

Claims

1. A portable electronic appliance capable of using a battery as a power source, said appliance comprising:

a reading device which reads information about the battery stored in a wireless tag provided on the battery by non-contact communication with the wireless tag;

an activating device which activates the wireless tag when said non-contact communication is started;

a recognition device which recognizes the information about the battery read by said reading device;

a writing device which writes information in said portable electronic appliance to the wireless tag;

a warning display device which displays a battery remaining energy warning; and

a warning generation device which generates battery remaining energy warning information according to the information recognized by said recognition device, and sends the generated information to said warning display device.

2. The portable electronic appliance according to claim 1, wherein the information about the battery includes the kind of the battery;

said recognition device recognizes at least the kind of the battery; and

said warning generation device generates the battery remaining energy warning information according to the recognized kind of the battery and sends the generated information to said warning display device.

3. The portable electronic appliance according to claim 2, wherein the information about the battery further includes the name of the manufacturer of the battery;

said recognition device recognizes at least the kind of the battery and the manufacturer'"'"'s name; and

said warning generation device generates the battery remaining energy warning information according to the recognized kind of the battery and manufacturer'"'"'s name and sends the generated information to said warning display device.

4. The portable electronic appliance according to claim 2, wherein the information about the battery further includes the capacity of the battery;

said recognition device recognizes at least the kind of the battery and the capacity; and

said warning generation device generates the battery remaining energy warning information according to the recognized kind and capacity of the battery and sends the generated information to said warning display device.

5. The portable electronic appliance according to claim 3, wherein the information about the battery further includes the capacity of the battery;

said recognition device recognizes at least the kind of the battery, the manufacturer'"'"'s name and the capacity; and

said warning generation device generates the battery remaining energy warning information according to the recognized kind, manufacturer'"'"'s name and capacity of the battery and sends the generated information to said warning display device.

6. A portable electronic appliance capable of using a battery as a power source, said appliance comprising:

a reading device which reads information stored in a wireless tag provided on the battery, and which is provided approximately at a center in the lengthwise direction of a lengthwise-extending place for accommodation of the battery; and

a writing device which writes information in said portable electronic appliance to the wireless tag.

7. A portable electronic appliance capable of using a battery as a power source, said appliance comprising:

a reading device which reads information about the battery stored in a wireless tag attached to the battery by non-contact communication with the wireless tag;

an activating device which activates the wireless tag when said non-contact communication is started;

a writing device which writes information in said portable electronic appliance to the wireless tag;

a recognition device which recognizes the information about the battery read by said reading device;

a power control device which controls the amount of power consumed by the portable electronic appliance; and

a control command generation device which sends to said power control device a power control command according to the information recognized by said recognition device.

8. The portable electronic appliance according to claim 7, wherein the information about the battery includes the kind of the battery;

said recognition device recognizes at least the kind of the battery; and

said control command generation device sends to said power control device a power control command according to the recognized kind of the battery.

9. The portable electronic appliance according to claim 8, wherein the information about the battery further includes the name of the manufacturer of the battery;

said recognition device recognizes the manufacturer'"'"'s name of the battery; and

said control command generation device sends to said power control device a power control command according to the recognized manufacturer'"'"'s name of the battery.

10. A portable electronic appliance capable of using a battery as a power source, said appliance comprising:

a reading device which reads information about the battery stored in a wireless tag attached to the battery by non-contact communication with the wireless tag;

an activating device which activates the wireless tag when said non-contact communication is started;

a writing device which writes information in said portable electronic appliance to the wireless tag;

a recognition device which recognizes the information about the battery read by said reading device;

a power control device which controls the amount of power consumed by the portable electronic appliance so that the amount of power is reduced; and

a control command generation device which sends to said power control device a command to perform such control that the amount of power is reduced according to the information recognized by said recognition device.

11. A portable electronic appliance capable of using a battery as a power source, said appliance comprising:

a reading device which reads information stored in a wireless tag attached to the battery by non-contact communication with the wireless tag, the stored information including information for identification of the battery and the kind of the battery;

an activating device which activates the wireless tag when said non-contact communication is started;

a recognition device which recognizes the information read by said reading device, the read information including information for identification of the battery and the kind of the battery;

a charging device which can charge the battery in a case where the battery in said portable electronic appliance is a secondary battery;

a charging cycle storage device which stores the number of cycles of charging of the battery in said portable electronic appliance on the basis of the information for identification of the battery in a case where the battery in said portable electronic appliance is a secondary battery;

a writing device which writes information in said portable electronic appliance to the wireless tag;

a warning display device which displays a warning about use of the battery; and

a warning generation device which makes said warning display device display information on a warning about use of the battery according to the number of charging cycles.

12. A portable electronic appliance capable of using a battery as a power source, said appliance comprising:

a reading device which reads information stored in a wireless tag attached to the battery by non-contact communication with the wireless tag, the stored information including information for identification of the battery and the kind of the battery;

an activating device which activates the wireless tag when said non-contact communication is started;

a recognition device which recognizes the information read by said reading device, the read information including information for identification of the battery and the kind of the battery;

a charging device which can charge the battery in a case where the battery in said portable electronic appliance is a secondary battery;

a charging cycle storage device which stores the number of cycles of charging of the battery in said portable electronic appliance on the basis of the information for identification of the battery in a case where the battery in said portable electronic appliance is a secondary battery;

a writing device which writes information in said portable electronic appliance to the wireless tag;

a power control device which controls the amount of power consumed in said portable electronic appliance so that the amount of power is reduced; and

a power reduction instruction device which instructs said power control device to reduce the amount of consumed power according to the number of charging cycles.

13. A portable electronic appliance capable of using a battery as a power source, said appliance comprising:

a reading device which reads information stored in a wireless tag attached to the battery by non-contact communication with the wireless tag, the stored information including the kind of the battery and the number of cycles of charging of the battery;

an activating device which activates the wireless tag when said non-contact communication is started;

a recognition device which recognizes the information read by said reading device, the read information including the kind of the battery and the number of cycles of charging of the battery;

a charging device which can charge the battery in a case where the battery in said portable electronic appliance is a secondary battery;

a writing device which writes the number of charging cycles in said portable electronic appliance to the wireless tag;

a warning display device which displays a warning about use of the battery; and

a warning generation device which makes said warning display device display information on a warning about use of the battery according to the number of charging cycles.

14. A cylindrical battery, comprising:

each of plus and minus electrodes arranged on both ends;

wireless tag attached to a center in the lengthwise direction;

wherein

the wireless tag records at least the information on battery types and information showing a number of battery charging cycles.